On Tuesday, Marjorie Barretto finally broke her silence on the controversy happened in her family last week during the wake of her father, Miguel Barretto.
Marjorie and Gretchen Barretto / Photo from Bilyonaryo
In an article of ABS-CBN News, she answered one by one, the accusations of her sister Gretchen Barretto. She also explained what really happened during the wake at The Heritage Park in Taguig.
Nicole Barretto and Atong Ang’s relationship
According to Marjorie, Atong was the boyfriend of Nicole for 5 years. Until Gretchen supposedly “stole” him from their niece. However, these claims were already denied by Atong.
"Totally dine-deny ko lang talaga 'yan, kasi bakit ka magsasalita ng kung ano-ano? Basta ang sa akin, happy ako sa pamilya ko, sa asawa ko," Atong said in an interview.
Going back to Marjorie, she said, prior to Gretchen’s arrival at the wake, Nicole and her mother received separate messages from Ang’s family members.
Nicole Barretto / Photo from PEP
“[They] said, kung puwede umalis muna sila Nicole at ‘yung mga kapatid niya, dahil parating si Gretchen at si Atong. Bigla na lang lumuha [si Nicole]. Apo siya, e. She had more right in the wake," Marjorie said.
“Tapos siyempre napapahiya siya sa aming lahat, kasi very present si Atong sa lahat ng family gatherings namin in that almost five years, as the boyfriend of Nicole. Napapahiya rin naman si Nicole na papasok silang (Gretchen and Ang) magkasama. Parang sampal na sa pagmumukha niya ‘yon. It was not the place to do that.”
Marjorie also claimed Nicole was advised by Ang’s camp to leave “dahil magkakaroon ng gulo.”
Duterte’s attempt to reconcile Gretchen and Marjorie
Marjorie then recalled President Rodrigo Duterte’s arrival at the wake.
“Dumating ang Pangulo, he had his moments with my mom and prayer for my father,” she said.
President Rodrigo Duterte and Gretchen Barretto / Photo from ABS-CBN News
Referring to their youngest sister, Marjorie narrated: “On cue ni Claudine, dumating si Gretchen at si Atong. Atong stayed at the end [of the chapel]. Gretchen was there, apologizing to my mother, crying. We were at the side.”
“They were claiming na mainit na ulo ko. Hindi lang po ako. ‘Yung pamilya ko po, dahil na-offend kami really about Atong sending our nieces and nephews out of the wake of our father. That’s the tension,” she said.
Marjorie went on to confirm that Duterte did attempt to mediate between her and Gretchen.
“Sabi ko, ‘Mr. President, I respect you, I love you, I voted for you, sir. Pasensya na po. Hindi po kita mapagbibigyan,’” Marjorie said.
President Rodrigo Duterte and Gretchen Barretto / Photo from Inquirer
“I could see her face. I could see the insincerity in Gretchen. I know her the most,” she added.
It was at this point when Claudine Barretto supposedly made a scene.
“Claudine says, ‘You’re unbelievable!’” Marjorie recounted. “Tumingin ako — bunsong kapatid. Diyan nag-start ‘yung bastusan, actually. And then she followed with, ‘How dare you! You just want the attention!’
“I said, ‘Mr. President, tingnan niyo po ‘to. Ito po ‘yung totoong pagkatao nila. Nagbabait-baitan lang po sila sa harapan ninyo. I hope you understand.’”
Marjorie said that Atong then attempted to grab her, after she questioned his presence at the wake in front of President Duterte.
Atong Ang, Nicole, Claudine and Gretchen Barretto / Photo from PEP
“‘Bakit ba siya nandito?’ Nagalit! Sa aakma si Atong… That’s when the PSG cordoned… Because the President was holding me. Pag safe si Presidente, safe ako,” she said, referring to the Presidential Security Group.
Marjorie added that Gretchen was supposedly poised to grab her and that was the point when Nicole got involved.
“Nakita ko sa kanan ko, Nicole carried Gretchen, nilipat siya, nilayo sa akin. Because, according to Nicole at mga tao doon, she (Gretchen) was also going to follow to make me hablot. Iyon ang kaguluhan nila doon,” Marjorie said.
Marjorie narrated that the PSG advised the President to leave due to the commotion, but he insisted to speak first with Marjorie.
“He safely took me away to the farthest couch, habang si Gretchen ang nag-nervous breakdown. She ran after Nicole, pulled Nicole’s hair, kicked Nicole. She beat up my niece,” she said.
“I wasn’t the one with nervous breakdown. I was sitting quietly with the President on the left side of the chapel, exchanging pleasantries… We ended well, habang si Gretchen nakikipagbugbugan doon. Para klaro sa lahat. Siya ang gumawa ng gulo. Hindi ako. I respect my father.”
Marjorie also addressed Gretchen’s accusation that she is to blame for their father’s heart attack that led to his death.
“Marjorie did not invite my mom to the gathering and that’s what caused my dad’s attack,” Gretchen said.
Marjorie strongly denied this allegation, saying that by pinning the blame on her, “It goes to show that Gretchen does not care about the family at all. My father died of acute respiratory failure. He did not have a heart attack.”
She further recalled, “The day that I gave him a birthday lunch in his house, that was the day we rushed him to the hospital because of violent chills. Chills. Hindi po heart attack, Gretchen. Dapat alam din ni Claudine ito, but obviously hindi, so… Violent chills. So yun pala, may sepsis na ang father ko, severe pneumonia, high fever and all of that so he did not die of an attack.”
Gretchen, Marjorie and Miguel Barretto / Photo from ABS-CBN News
“Gretchen, stop diverting. My mom is always invited. Why wouldn’t she be invited? She is my mother, and she is the wife of my father, and we are in good terms. If I did not want my mother at the birthday celebration of my father, I wouldn’t have done it in my house.
“My dad claimed to us that my mom was ill that day, that’s why she was not able to join us, which is not unusual. My mom is 82 years old,” Marjorie said.
Marjorie said that she would never take it sitting down when being portrayed as the “bad daughter.”
“Now when we talk about her painting me as a bad daughter, I will put my foot down. I am a good daughter. I am present every Sunday, every family event. I throw them parties, I serve them. I visit my family, okay.”
She suggested that it was Gretchen instead who has not been the good daughter.
“Speaking of not inviting your mother to your house, Gretchen, for more than 25 years, has never invited my parents to her house, any of her mansions and rest houses, not even to their garage. Okay. So don’t paint me as the bad daughter. Don’t paint me as the bad daughter, Gretchen.”
Open to reconciliation
“I have to make this clear that what Gretchen is doing to me is not only me. She does this to all her friends, all my friends, family, parents, everything. This evilness has to stop. It has to stop,” she said.
“Ako, gusto ko ibalik ‘yung tanong kay Gretchen: Kailan ka ba mapapagod? When will you start healing so you can stop hurting everybody? I pray for healing. I sincerely pray for healing.”
Marjorie said that if Gretchen visited their father when he was still alive, or came to the wake without the President and the cameras, she would be the first one to embrace her.
“Kung pumunta siya sa ospital, sa tatay ko, habang buhay, walang Presidente, walang kamera, walang lahat, ako ang unang yayakap sa kaniya. I would have hugged her. I would have led her to my father, and I swear that on my children’s lives.
“I am for reconciliation, just not an orchestrated one,” Marjorie said.
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Source: ABS-CBN News
